Preview: Islanders at Oilers

FOUR THINGS:

1. ISLES VS. OILERS:

The New York Islanders continue their seven-game road trip in oil country, as they face the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night at Rexall Place.

In the team's most recent meeting, Kyle Okposo scored his second-career hat trick, as the Islanders offense went off on the Oilers in a 8-1 win on Super Bowl Sunday at Barclays Center. John Tavares (1G, 2A) and Nick Leddy (3A) each had three points in the win.

Sunday marks the Islanders final visit to Rexall Place, as the Oilers are set to move into Rogers Place next season. Rexall has an old-school charm, (akin to Nassau Coliseum, albeit with a higher ceiling) but has not been kind to the Islanders of late. The Isles are 0-4-1 in their last five trips to Northern Alberta and haven’t swept a trip through Alberta since 1982.

They’ll have to overcome history and a motivated Oilers team to buck that trend.

2. PULOCK WILL MAKE DEBUT:

Ryan Pulock will make his NHL debut on Sunday, according to head coach Jack Capuano.

Pulock, the Islanders’ 2013 first-rounder, was recalled by the team on Monday after Calvin de Haan was placed on IR. Pulock, armed with a 105 mph slap shot, has seven goals and 17 assists this year for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, after posting 17 goals for Bridgeport last year.

3. OILERS MAKE TRADES:

Originally scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m., the NHL’s trade deadline was apparently moved up a few days.

The Edmonton Oilers were very active in the trade market on Saturday, shipping Teddy Purcell to the Florida Panthers, goaltender Anders Nilsson to the St. Louis Blues and defenseman Justin Schultz to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The combined return: a pair of 2016 third-round picks, a 2016 fifth-round pick and goaltender Niklas Lundstrom.

Purcell was fifth in Oilers scoring this season, with 11 goals and 21 assists in 61 games. Schultz had 10 points (3G, 7A) in 45 games, third among Oilers blueliners. Nilsson was 10-12-2 this season with a 3.14 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

The Oilers called up goaltender Laurent Brossoit in wake of Nilsson’s trade.

4. OILERS STRUGGLING:

The Edmonton Oilers are in the midst of another tough season, currently sitting last in the NHL with 51 points. The Oilers have lost seven straight games (0-5-2) and 10 of their last 11, including the 8-1 loss to the Islanders.

Taylor Hall leads the Oilers with 20 goals (tied with Jordan Eberle), 33 assists and 53 points in 63 games this season. Connor McDavid has 28 points (10G, 18A) in 26 games in an injury-shortened rookie season.